Many industrial and scientific applications require chemical analysis of gas and liquid phase materials to obtain data for these applications. Also, many environmental applications require chemical analysis of gas and liquid phase materials to obtain data useful for health and safety analysis.
Numerous techniques and apparatus have been developed to perform chemical analysis of gas and liquid phase materials. One common analytical technique used for gas phase analysis is plasma emission spectrometry. Plasma emission spectrometry is performed by electrically exciting gas to form a plasma where one or more species undergo excitation and decay via emission at UV, visible, or infrared wavelengths. Detailed spectral analysis of these emissions can be used to determine the gas composition or the composition of liquid phase analytes that are volatilized into the gas stream. The spectral analysis can include ultraviolet and infrared spectral analysis depending upon the particular application.
One known method of performing plasma emission spectrometry uses a plasma torch to breakdown the material under test. Typical operating powers for the plasma torch are several kilowatts. Typical gas flow rates are on order of several liters/min. Such systems are relatively large having a footprint on the order of several cubic feet, which limits their application to laboratory installations.